Novak Djokovic accused of 'bad timing' comment by One Direction fans after Boyband-quip days after Liam Payne's death; Serb resolves things quickly

Novak Djokovic unexpectedly came under fire from One Direction fans after they felt he needlessly made a quip about One Direction, coming just days after the death of band member Liam Payne. Thankfully, the Serb quickly resolved matters by modifying his comment.

Djokovic is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the Six Kings Slam, where he has been joined by Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune. The 24-time Grand Slam champion ended up losing in the semifinals to Sinner, but will take on Nadal on Saturday in the third-place play-off.

On Friday, there was a mini celebration to honor all six participants, where they came together to enjoy an evening out in the Middle East Country. Afterwards, Djokovic took to Instagram to share glimpses of their fun time, captioning the post:

"Kings night out. Your new favorite boyband."

Unfortunately, the term 'boyband' did not go down well with One Direction fans. Many felt that the 37-year-old was making a reference to Payne's demise, with the English singer-songwriter passing away at the age of 31 on October 16 after suffering a tragic fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Payne was one of the founding members of the best-selling pop band in 2010, along with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.

Comments on Djokovic's Instagram post was quickly flooded with fans, who alleged that the Serb's comment was in poor taste. The former World No. 1 himself must have noticed the same, as he decided to prevent any more controversy by editing the caption and taking out the controversial part.

"Kings night out," the new caption read.

Comments from One Direction fans that forced Novak Djokovic to change his caption (Source: Instagram)

What next for Novak Djokovic after Six Kings Slam?

Six Kings Slam 2024 - Source: Getty

As of now, Novak Djokovic is scheduled to play after the Six Kings Slam at the Paris Masters, where he is the provisional fourth seed after Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. The Masters 1000 tournament will take place in the final week of October and end on November 3.

Before the Six Kings Slam, Djokovic played at the Masters 1000 event in Shaghai, reaching the final before falling to World No. 1 Sinner. The run has significantly boosted his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin, and the 37-year-old is currently in the No. 6 spot.